Two miles away from you may your lover tremble with excitement,
one mile away may he bite his lip in anticipation
I would have journeyed to him unbidden,
my path from the temple fated and traced
by sandaled feet, dusty but eager
in their purpose, the way we find our gods.
What lives in him would spark
the fuse that drives and draws me
beside the spring where he comes to drink,
where I will lie down, naked and spread under sun
for the man who runs with deer.
I have an appetite for gods
or the man ridden by them, still smelling
of the clay that shaped him, struck with light;
a man with hair longer than my own,
whose kisses taste like wild grass.
I am the one who opens and is taken
but when he stands again and turns
back to the deer, they no longer know him.
Like Delilah, I will cut his hair,
but openly, because love tames–
how many wild things are broken
by the women who lie under
***Italicized words are from Enkidu’s blessing to Shamhat, from the epic of Gilgamesh, via Stephen Miller.
***My choice for NaPoWriMo. The prompt suggested using a non-Greek mythological source, so I went to Babylon for this one. This is a slight edit of a poem I did a year ago. It fits too nicely into the prompt to not use it.
Susan Daniels Poetry 
Susan, I cannot tell you enough how not only beautiful and intelligent this poem is but how truly a work of art you have wrought. >KB
KB, wow. Thank you. It just needed a little more editing. I really loved this when I first wrote it. It just needed some work here and there.
Jesus, Susan, this is altogether beautiful.
Joseph, thank you. Finally gave it the tightening it needed.
you have a truly remarkable talent
Paul, thank you. I am giving Gilgamesh the credit for this one. How can you not read it and be inspired?
Reblogged this on The Mirror Obscura and commented:
I met Susan Daniels on here quite by accident over a year ago and since that time her work has grown exponentially to become as subtle as a thin razor blade and a strong as a bloom of Queen Anne’s Lace. >KB
Amazing to read.
Thank you so much. Writing it was like having the top of my head blown off.
Well thank goodness it pops right back on. I am enjoying your work.
😉 Thank you!
Words fail me 🙂
What a good woman can do 😉
No, I’m not good 🙂
Good/bad, it is all raw feminine power.
Agreed! 🙂
Oooh – love this! This is really good poetry. So glad I’m following your blog. It’s crazy good.
Becca, thank you!
This is simply breath-taking. Stunning and stoning. It nearly stoned me out – this image of a woman who opens, is taken but finally takes in the victor, soft bound but bound, hair,heart, hand and head. Susan, you are a great poet…..Like all great poems, this one subverts without seeming to. Religion and sociology converge in this delicate feminist song.
Noel–thank you. I think you saw this one in an earlier incarnation. Just needed a little tightening. So glad it works for you! Yes, it is a subtle feminist song 😉
On Wed, Apr 2, 2014 at 12:41 PM, Susan Daniels Poetry wrote:
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Oh… I have missed you, sir!
Reblogged this on visionvoiceandviews and commented:
a beautiful and engaging song, crafted by a great poet and subtle feminist! So proud of Susan, my duet partner.
A sublime & sensual appetizer that nearly satisfies, yet lingers on the palette of the heart.
Thank you, Suzanne. Really appreciate the comment.
WOW!!!
Thank you!
I just figured out why I love April…breathtaking!
-Jennifer
Thanks, Jennifer! So much poetry to read, so little time 😉
Loving the excuse to indulge!!!:)
captivating piece….
Thank you so much!
“I have an appetite for gods
or the man ridden by them, still smelling”
These are fascinating lines, Susan. Especially the image of a man being ridden by the gods. I really like that. I read it over a number of times to see if I had it right in my imagination. 🙂
Thanks, Jeremy. I love the Epic of Gilgamesh. So much untapped inspiration in that story for me 😉
On Wed, Apr 2, 2014 at 11:01 PM, Susan Daniels Poetry wrote:
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I like epics too. I have a Finnish friend who gifted me a copy of the Kalevala. There is a lot in there too. 🙂
ooooo–enjoy! Have not read that. Perhaps I should!
On Thu, Apr 3, 2014 at 9:13 AM, Susan Daniels Poetry wrote:
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Okay…ditto to all that has already been spoken of the poetic genius that runs through your veins sfam…but I HAVE to and it takes NOTHING away from how beautiful this is….ready?
SHAM-WOW!
Sis, you ROCK!
On Thu, Apr 3, 2014 at 1:21 PM, Susan Daniels Poetry wrote:
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Phew…glad you took it as intended. And no…YOU rock. simply, utterly, FAB
“whose kisses taste like wild grass.” Dang, girl. I want to kiss this guy. What a luscious poem. 🙂
Oh, thank you. Me too. Lucky woman who got to tame that guy 😉
On Thu, Apr 3, 2014 at 11:17 PM, Susan Daniels Poetry wrote:
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((SIGH)) 😉
Wow – just stunning!! LOVED it!!
Thank you, Sadie!